Porridge for you brain.

I have a bump on my stomach that is quite obvious when I wear something tight. It is the opening to my gastric band and it lies just under my skin. Before I lost all that weight, you could not see it, but now it is clearly visible. It looks very odd and I wonder what people think it is when they spot it. Maybe they think I am "The Bionic Woman." Or that I have a special button to open up my stomach with. The skinnier I get, the more visible it is and I can even feel the tube that runs from it to the gastric band itself. Is that not eerie? It gives me something to fiddle with when I am daydreaming.

I went grocery shopping this afternoon and stuck to the shopping list and stayed under my budget, which is very good. I did buy the vanilla custard as a treat and already had that, but for a change did not go comatose from it and have to take a nap. I was just very pleasantly full. I did experience a little dip a while ago, but that was easily taken care of by making some fresh coffee, a cup of which I am drinking now. It is better if I save all my sleep for tonight, providing Tyke will let me. He is a monster and does wake me up prematurely.

My sister picked me up this morning to go see the house that she and my brother-in-law have bought. It is in a village close to here, on top of a hill, and it has its own golf course and restaurants and shops, so it is no hardship to live there. The house is being renovated and walls have been torn down and some others are being put up. A new bathroom and kitchen will be put in also. You have to envision it as it is going to be and it will be wonderful and it is on a lovely street too. They have a good team of workers doing the job on it. I can not wait to see it when it is done.

 

I talked to my daughter on the phone after I had not for quite a while, so that was a lovely experience. We very easily pick up where we left off and talk up a storm. One of the things we talked about was a vegan diet, which she follows and she gave me some tips on which foods to use a lot of instead of dairy. She carefully watches that she gets enough protein and iron and calcium in her meals. When I get my stomach sorted out, I will be able to eat more along those lines too. I am more than halfway there already.

 

Today I started to reduce my antipsychotic medication with 1 mg because I thought I could be a bit more lively than I am just now. I did send my psychiatrist an email informing him of this. It is a trial to see if it is possible without becoming hypomanic. If I do, I will hopefully catch it on time and go back to the original dose. I have been better about monitoring my moods and being able to tell the differences in them right when they start, so I have to have some faith in myself. I do not like being hypomanic enough to allow it to get out of hand. I much prefer serenity.